Sunday, July 20, 2008

FAIRMONT — Whenever Joyce Chuprinko of Morgantown attends a Women on Wellness retreat sponsored by the Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, she learns more about herself.“I get something new out of it every time I go to one,” Chuprinko said. Sometimes that can be a good thing — such as taking a golf class from another woman — while sometimes the news might not be so good, but necessary.

“Last year when I went, they give you a bone density test, and I found out that I had borderline osteoporosis,” she said.Women who attend this year’s event — held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Heston Farm near Pleasant Valley — will be able to experience the same mix of exercise opportunities, lectures on how to take care of themselves, plus screenings that will include testing for blood pressure, cholesterol, and, yes, bone density.

“The Women on Wellness retreat is an outreach effort,” said Betty Critch, the executive director of the National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center at West Virginia University (www.wvhealthywomen.org).Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are 20 centers, mostly housed at colleges such as WVU, in an effort to encourage a multidisciplinary approach to women’s health.

Many of the centers can be found in large cities such as Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago, Critch noted. “We’re the only one whose capture area is the entire state, and the only one that’s 100 percent within Appalachia,” she said.And West Virginia also is a state that falls near the bottom of the list of many health statistics, including in statistics released this week by the Centers for Disease Control that puts West Virginia among the top five states in adults that are obese.

In an effort to combat such statistics, the Women on Wellness retreats offer a variety of exercise opportunities and allow attendees to pick five to try for 20 minutes each.“What it’s meant to do is plant a seed,” Critch said. “So many women say, ‘I can’t exercise until a find a yoga class’ even though they never haven taken a yoga class. Now they have the opportunity to take yoga say, ‘I didn’t like that,’ or ‘Wow, that was great.’”And because people from the community will be providing the services offered, the women then will be able to follow up with a newfound sport or exercise that they have tried.

For instance, Shelly Vilar, a personal trainer who has a workout set-up in her home for clients, also teaches Zumba — a Latin aerobics class — in places such as Monongah.“I have a large group in Monongah because (otherwise) there’s nothing out that far,” she said. “I’ve had requests to do things in Mannington and Shinnston.

There are places where it’s kind of difficult with travel time, not to mention the price. If I can bring the location to them, it makes it easier.”She will be teaching classes for the first time at the Women on Wellness retreat.“I’m thrilled to death,” she said. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for everyone involved. More time and consideration needs to be given to women and it gives them the opportunity to search for things to improve their lifestyle.

”In addition to exercise opportunities, the day includes keynote speaker Laura Davisson from the National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health as well as other sessions that address ways to improve and maintain good health.“Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to be on the South Beach Diet,” Critch said. “We want them to start thinking about, instead of frying a piece of chicken, grilling it instead, or instead of drinking soda, drinking water.

“We have a subliminal message that goes through the day, ‘Have some coffee, tea, fruit, maybe some yogurt and some healthy muffins, in small sizes, not huge.’”Helping women also extends to entire families because more often than not, they are the caretakers and in charge of medical decisions, Critch said. “If you can get women’s attention to leading a healthier life, she will bring family members and the community along.”

Patients Often Unaware of Bizarre Side Effects Profile of Popular Drug

Russ Kelly of Yardley, Pa., was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about five years ago. Before that time, he had always been a social gambler and drinker.

But when he began treatment for the condition that affected his coordination, handwriting and speaking abilities, the 62-year-old noticed sudden changes in his behavior as well.

He began to think nothing of making the one-hour drive to the Atlantic City, N.J., casinos several times a week. "If I was by myself one night, I might just hop in the car and drive down there on an impulse," Kelly says.

Though the thousands of dollars he lost at the blackjack tables were usually balanced by his winnings, his drinking spun out of control. He says he began slinging back tequila shots in addition to the one or two beers he typically drank after his weekly golf game.

One Tuesday night after golf, Kelly was arrested for driving under the influence, lost his license for 60 days and attended an alcohol rehabilitation program to clear his record.

"I could have killed somebody when I was driving," Kelly says.

Though some might accuse Kelly of having a midlife crisis or decompensating due to his Parkinson's diagnosis, he and his doctors attribute this impulsive behavior to his treatment -- which included the drug Mirapex.

Mirapex and Requip are two of the drugs prescribed for Parkinson's disease and Restless Legs Syndrome, or RLS. They both belong to a class of drugs known as dopamine agonists, which mimic the brain chemical known as dopamine.

Dopamine works in the brain's movement and coordination centers, and it is also involved in the brain's pleasure response by reinforcing behaviors that provide enjoyment -- including drinking, drugs, sex and gambling.

So while drugs such as Mirapex can help alleviate the motor problems associated with Parkinson's, they may also encourage such impulsive behaviors, some doctors say.

"It is believed that these medications overactivate the pleasure centers of the brain in an unregulated fashion," says Dr. Melissa Nirenberg, assistant professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. "What has been almost as dramatic as the behaviors itself has been the fact that when you discontinue these medications, these behaviors stop."

But Nirenberg and other doctors say that many neurologists and general practitioners who prescribe these drugs are unaware of the severity of the side effects, so patients are often left in the dark.

"There is still not enough physician awareness of this," she says.

Strange Side Effects

More than 10 million prescriptions have been written for Mirapex since the drug was launched in 1997, according to Kate O'Connor, director of public relations for Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., maker of Mirapex.

Information about the possible behavioral side effects, including gambling, compulsive eating and increased sex drive, has been included with the product for the past several years. But O'Connor says that it is difficult to estimate how many people may have experienced these side effects.

"For the vast majority of people who take these medications, compulsive behaviors do not occur, although these isolated incidences are, of course, very unfortunate," she says.

Scientists have recently begun to quantify the behavioral changes associated with dopamine agonist drugs. In a study presented in late June at the International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders conference in Chicago, more than 13 percent of 3,090 Parkinson's patients had a problem with compulsive gambling, buying, sex or binge-eating.

People who were taking either Mirapex or Requip had a two- to three-times greater chance of having one of the four impulse-control disorders.

"These disorders can often be devastating to people's personal lives, financial lives, and even physical health," says Dr. Daniel Weintraub, lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Though Weintraub says that the benefits of the drug outweigh the negatives for most patients, he adds that "clinicians do have a responsibility to notify patients that these are potential side effects."

Nirenberg even says she fears that these side effects are more prevalent than the study indicates, because only four of the many types of irregular behaviors were analyzed.

She says that her patients tend to have gender-based differences in side effects, with women experiencing more compulsive shopping and eating and men turning more to hypersexuality and gambling.

She says she also has patients who would have been overlooked in the study -- a man who plays basketball compulsively for up to 36 hours at a time, and another who compulsively fishes. One spouse of a Parkinson's patient had to put a padlock on the refrigerator because of the compulsive eating, she says.

These impulsive behaviors have "potentially devastating consequences," Nirenberg says. "They have led to marital discord frequently ... shopping and gambling have led to financial losses, and eating has led to weight gain and secondary medical consequences."

But Are They Bad?

Dr. Eric Wassermann, neurologist and researcher at the Neurology Institute at the National Institutes of Health, says that the dopamine levels in the brain are normally lowered when a person experiences negative consequences of a behavior, such as gaining weight when overeating.

However, these medications keep the dopamine levels relatively constant. "If you are flooding the system, it is turned on constantly," Wassermann says. "Probably these addictive behaviors become overly reinforcing, and punishments like losing money don't work."

And certain behaviors stimulated by the drugs, such as increased sexual drive, aren't typically "punished" by drops in dopamine levels, Wassermann says.

"You just keep doing it over and over again and it keeps feeling good," he says.

Robert Simpson, 59, of New York City, is one of Nirenberg's patients who experienced an increased libido from the Mirapex. He began taking the drug in December 2005 and noticed an immediate change.

"I felt good," Simpson says. "Not high, exactly, but I felt a little buzz. It was a new experience. I liked the feeling."

He says he began buying pornography regularly, and masturbating two to three times a day."It wasn't actually causing anyone any harm," he says.

But when he told Nirenberg of this behavior, she immediately took him off the drug, just three months after he had started it.

"I don't know if it was exactly the next day [after I stopped], but whatever was triggering my feelings of sexuality was diminished again," he says.

Kelly also went off Mirapex just one week ago but says he hasn't yet noticed a change in his impulsive behavior. He says he wishes that he had known about the side effects of the drug earlier.

"It needs to be clearly drilled into people who take the drug, and to their family, to look for behavioral changes," he says.

Kelly says that his brother was the first to call him out, in a conversation that resulted in an argument. But his brother persisted, eventually calling Kelly's doctor to let her know about the problems with the drinking and gambling.

"Things got so bad within the past couple of months," Kelly says.

Though he had no idea that his brother thought the problem was serious enough to warrant a call to the doctor, Kelly says, "I'm happy he did."

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Today, organic skincare is one of the fastest growing industry segments and the term has lost a little luster. Consumers purchasing organic products now want to know if the ingredients were sourced locally or support fair trade principles, and companies are responding with more labels and more certifications.

Just imagine how great your will look with the POMEGA5 green product'sknowing that you do not give up quality and texture for being just organic. A true rival to all upscale department store products.

And it isn’t only what’s on the inside that counts. Product packaging is going greener too. Using post-consumer paper and plastics used to be sufficient. Now companies are moving towards zero (not less) waste. Joshua Onysko of Pangea Organics is leading this charge with his packaging that literally sprouts herbs when planted. (It works. I tried it.)

This competition to differentiate on green terms (differgreentiation) is a bright spot in an industry traditionally known for intimidating ingredient lists, questionable product safety and dubious marketing claims. It’s exciting that skincare companies are starting to consider the overall environmental impact of their products from sourcing to disposal, especially after watching this video.

Last week I had the opportunity meet with Dr. NitashaBuldeo, founder of Organic Apoteke. I think she put it all in perspective by pointing out, “Who wants to look beautiful in an ugly, dirty world?”

Monday, July 14, 2008

Greentech Media reports investments of $1.3 billion in the second quarter.

Venture capitalists invested a record amount of money in greentech in the second quarter, according to a report released by Greentech Media's research arm Wednesday.

Investments in North America, Europe, Israel and Australia reached $1.3 billion in 74 deals, the Venture Power Report concluded.

That represents an increase of 30 percent from the first quarter, when the Venture Power Report tracked $1 billion in 73 cleantech deals.

Solar power companies grabbed the largest portion of the funding in the second quarter, raising $670 million in more than 23 financing rounds, according to the report.

Concentrating solar-thermal companies eSolar, BrightSource Energy and Sterling Energy Systems snagged almost half of that, taking home a total of $350 million.

Biofuels represented the next-largest sector, pulling in $258 million in 12 deals, while energy-efficiency and smart-grid companies snagged $138 million in 14 deals.

At the rate investors are plunging money into greentech companies, 2008 is on track to beat last year's record-breaking total of $3.43 billion, according to Eric Wesoff, a senior analyst at Greentech Media Research.

Greentech Media will discuss the report's results in a Webinar Wednesday.

He also picked electric-car maker Tesla Motors as an IPO candidate, saying it is one of only a few "pure play" electric-vehicle companies during an era of record-breaking gas prices, which are expected only to rise.

Greentech Media is one of a number of groups tracking cleantech investing.

On Tuesday, the Cleantech Group published its second-quarter figures (see VCs Dole Out $2B in 2Q). The study, which also reported a record-breaking amount of investment in the quarter, said that VCs have invested $2 billion in 96 companies.

That's $700 million more than recorded by Greentech Media. Part of the discrepancy is that the Cleantech Group includes investments from additional countries, including China and India.

Wesoff said the difference also stems from the fact that the Cleantech Group defines its role more broadly than the Venture Power Report, including investments in a larger variety of technologies.

Wesoff tracks renewable energy, rather than cleantech, but considers that category to include automobile, energy storage, energy-efficiency, smart-grid and demand-response technologies, as well as solar and alternative fuels. He excludes investments in water technologies and green materials, for example.

Hot sex is a great stress management tool, and by making sure that you enjoy hot sex on a regular basis, you can dramatically decrease the chances of being overwhelmed by the trials tensions of daily life. Some people rely on pills and potions to keep their stress levels under control, but hot sex is a much more natural – and arguably much safer – alternative.

We all know that physical exercise helps to reduce stress, but few people remember that hot sex – sex that gets your heart racing – is just as much a form of exercise as swimming, jogging or using a Stairmaster. Okay, you might not burn quite as many calories in bed as you would on a treadmill, but you will still increase your heart rate, release feel-good chemicals (endorphins) and burn up the feel-bad chemical cortisol.

I know that if I go more than a couple of days without having sex, I get stressed very easily. I also know that when I get stressed I feel less like having sex. This is a common situation, but if you aren’t aware of it you could well find yourself in a place where you never feel like having sex and you think the solution is to wait until you feel less stressed. Lots of couples fall into this trap, and as a result they can go for weeks, months or even years without sex, eventually concluding that “sex is overrated anyway” and settling for a life of celibacy by default.

There’s nothing wrong with celibacy if it’s a deliberate lifestyle choice and you happen to be single, but in a marriage sex is a very important glue that helps to hold the relationship together, so allowing stress to slowly dissolve that glue is potentially allowing the relationship itself to weaken.

If regular sex helps to relieve stress and keep a marriage strong, whilst irregular sex allows stress to build up and can put the marriage at risk over the long term, it makes sense to take sex seriously. So be wise and make a point of enjoying hot sex regularly with your spouse. Remember, a hot fuck a day keeps the Prozac at bay…

Sunday, July 13, 2008

It may be high, it may be low. Overall, it is the image that you have of yourself. Just as we each have an opinion on various things that we encounter in life, we also have various opinions on who we are as individuals. This perception includes what we think of ourselves physically, how we see ourselves as emotional beings, and what we think regarding our mentality. Many of us allow others to shape and form the mental image that we have of ourselves. As a result, low self-esteem occurs. Then, there are a few of us who simply feel negative towards ourselves. If you are one of these individuals, this information is sure to gear you right. Here, you will learn how to increase your level of self esteem.

The first thing that you should know and understand when it comes to increasing your level of self-esteem is that everyone has a right to experience high self-esteem. Each and every single one of us deserve the best in life, you included! Why should you allow yourself to see who you are in a negative light? Why should you allow what others think affect your ability to see yourself as a valuable and special person? If you suffer from a general lack of self-esteem, these are very important questions that you should consider asking yourself. You will quickly find that there is no true, logical reason for experiencing low self-esteem.

By taking the time and making the full effort to increase your level of self-esteem, you are opening up new doors of opportunity that will allow you to effectively live and succeed in life. Those that approach themselves, and focus on the positive attributes of the mind, body, and soul are those that are able to truly live life to its fullest! Those that are pessimistic, and sit back and allow negative thoughts to control their lives are literally stunting their growth in every aspect of their being. Do you want to slow yourself down? Do you like hitting walls at every turn? Do you want to be locked down by the grips of depression, pessimism, and failure? If not, do what is necessary to increase your level of self-esteem today!

One of the first things that you can do to increase your level of self-esteem is to take full responsibility for yourself. This means that you should take responsibility for your thoughts, actions, and reactions. Sure, there are some situations in which you are not responsible - but this is not true when it comes to the thoughts that you have, the things that you do, or the way that you react to things. It is important to ensure that you have positive thoughts; you act in a way that is beneficial to you and others, and that you react in a positive and upbeat way to things that occur in your life. By failing to take responsibility for these things, you will never understand the power of yourself. You will never gain an understanding that it is you that is responsible for the way you feel, the things that you do, and the way that you think.

The next thing that you can do to increase your level of self-esteem is to ensure that you surround and soak yourself in positive company, work, and things. You should ensure that you know and understand that negative situations with other people, negative situations at work, and negative lifestyle choices can really put a damper in your self-esteem. By ensuring that you are on top of your game, and that you are surrounded with positive things at all time, you will develop into a positive free thinker that enjoys everything about life. You will enjoy your friends.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

The new It thing when it comes to dieting is Functional Food (any fresh or processed food claimed to have a health-promoting and/or disease-preventing property beyond the basic nutritional function of supplying nutrients – Wikipedia).

57% of Americans make more effort to eat and shop healthier. 53% of adults are controlling their diet – 61% for weight, 36% cholesterol, 22% blood sugar, 18% high blood pressure, and 14% diabetes. Parents’ concerns for their children’s health are beginning to have effects on the market and there are new healthy products with, for example, DHA added for brain development and a probiotic for digestive health. Omega 5 oil is highly recommended.

2. Natural End Benefits

As we know, there are foods called superfood (high phytonutrient content that confers health benefits as a result – Wikipedia). Examples are pomegranates, cacao, soy, flax seed, broccoli, blueberries, raspberries, spinach, tomatoes and walnuts.

3. Weight loss

Only 12% of adults trying to lose weight follow a diet. The South Beach Diet has been renamed to South Beach Living. Reducing portion sizes is second only to exercise as the most common weight-control method. Other methods are cutting calories, cutting fat calories, and cutting carbs. Satiety is a new weapon in the war on weight.

4. Contemporary Conditions

The demand for condition-specific foods is skyrocketing. Heart disease and cancer is America’s top health concerns and one-third of consumers are making a strong effort to eat foods with omega-3s, DHA or EPA.

5. Proactive Lifestyles

With the majority of consumers trying to live a preventive lifestyle, fortified foods and beverages have quickly become a way of life. Consumers are making a strong effort to get more of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. While limiting fat remains a cornerstone of healthy living, consumers are as concerned about the type of fat as they are about the amount. They are also recognizing the potential for functional foods in other lifestyle areas such as improving immunity.

6. Simpler, Greener and Cleaner

Many consumers are taking a simpler, more natural approach to the foods they eat, looking for foods with only a few ingredients and as fresh and close to the farm as time and budget will allow. Organic food sales are continuing to grow and consumers believe local products are fresher, have fewer pesticides, and are of higher quality.

7. Smart Treats

Consumers are looking for snacks with more nutrition and lower calorie value. Better-for-you chips, trail mix, rice, popcorn cakes, nuts, freeze-dried fruits, and yoghurt are examples of snacks in demand.

8. Sensitivity Training

The number of adults who perceive that they, or their children, suffer from food allergies continues to grow, creating lucrative markets, disproportionate to their true medical base. 37% of consumers are concerned about gastrointestinal issues. Awareness of probiotic-containing and fiber-enhanced products has been substantially raised.

9. Vitality Treadmill

Energy is the top reason consumers are making a dietary change. B-vitamins and vitamins overall are the nutrients consumers believe most important to achieve high energy levels. Of all new functional food concepts, consumers are most interested in new products that improve mental performance. The demand for sleep-inducing foods is at an all-time high.

10. New Venues

The most important factor driving the healthy and functional foods market mainstream is the increased accessibility of healthy products through additional channels. With today’s grab-and-go lifestyle, convenience stores have become a powerhouse for sales of healthy products. Restaurants are another fast-emerging venue for healthy and functional foods. Vegetarian, vegan, low-carb, low-fat, gluten-free, light, organic, trans fat-free, natural, healthy, and low-calorie are the top 10 health claims on menus.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Kids' skin care doesn't end with sunscreen; watch for rashes after swimming

NEW YORK — By this point in the season, parents are probably pretty good at slathering their children with sunscreen, but good summer skin care doesn't stop there.

Adults often adjust their health and beauty routines as they deal with heat, chlorine, sand, salt - and increased bathing to alleviate all of the above. It makes sense to do the same for children:-SUNNING. Sunscreen for kids isn't an option - it's a must, says Dr. Carol Drucker, a dermatologist and associate professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. But it's important to find the right kind of sunscreen for your children's skin.

Some thicker formulas, often with higher SPFs, can clog pores and contribute to heat rash, especially when combined with sweat, sand and dirt. Drucker encourages parents to experiment with different textures and weights. Sprays, for example, tend to have a lighter touch.

For teens, clogged pores can lead to another problem: acne. When there's any sort of extra oil secretion, it's important to fully cleanse, tone, exfoliate and hydrate (with an oil-free formula), says Jeanna Nims, lead esthetician at the Beach Plum Spa at the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis, Mass.

Nims recommends choosing an astringent with humectants, which can help retain natural moisture instead of adding an extra layer on top; she's partial to products with hyaluronic acid, a substance naturally produced by the skin but tends to deplete with age.

-SWIMMING. Wet skin doesn't have as strong a barrier as dry skin, so kids become more susceptible to funguses and viruses, especially warts, ringworm and athlete's foot, warns Drucker.

"They're not usually bad things, but you want to recognize them - and maybe wear flip-flops or disinfect your feet when you get back to the car," she says.

Beach swimmers are also at risk for rashes.

An itchy, bumpy rash on skin that's either normally covered by a swimsuit or occurs in skin folds could be caused by larvae in salt water, Drucker says. One rash that occurs on exposed parts of the skin is more common in fresh water and is called "swimmer's itch." It's caused by little parasites of birds and snails, she explains, and while not dangerous, it can be uncomfortable. It can be treated with hydrocortisone, she says.

Another common ailment Drucker sees during the summer are children with raw finger and toe pads.

The culprit? The concrete at the edge of the pool.

"Kids hold on to the edge of the pool and walk on the concrete around it. It's especially a problem with new pools. It's an abrasion and people don't realize what it is," Drucker says.

-BATHING. This is the grimy season for kids, but, says Drucker, they don't need a bath to wash off sunscreen. If anything, the buildup of a previous day's sunscreen just provides a little extra protection.

That said, sweat and dirt should come off.

Because of the frequency of washing, Drucker recommends switching to a milder soap and not soaping up quite so much - just enough to get clean.

Dry skin is more of a problem during seasons of low humidity, mostly winter, but it still will bother some kids during the summer. One option is a moisturizing sunscreen, says Drucker, while another would be an oil-free lotion.

Pomega5 skincare, Nims, the salon esthetician, also notes that moisturizers with aloe or shea butter are calming and might soothe sunburns.

-HAIR. Bathing and swimming do strip moisture from the hair so it should be conditioned following every shampoo, advises Cozy Friedman, founder of the Cozy Cuts for Kids salon chain in New York. If hair is very dry and brittle, leave a little conditioner in as added protection.

"At the first haircut after camp or the back-to-school haircut, the stylists say it's like cutting off straw," Friedman says. "The stylists have to sharpen their scissors every September after the rush."

It's also the season for knots. To prevent tangles, Friedman recommends children with long hair wear a ponytail or loose braids both when they're active and when they're sleeping.

The other concern in the summer is the green tint that can come from chlorine.

"If I could tell people one little bit of advice, it's to use a swimmer's shampoo," Friedman says.Her brand's version is made with orange extract, which helps remove chlorine and impurities, she says.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Whether marking printers or produce, the increasing number of "green" claims on products can make it hard to separate sincere efforts at sustainability from marketing fluff.

Environmental watchdogs warn that corporate "greenwashing" will lead jaded consumers to abandon efforts to shop responsibly.

However, individuals can counteract the confusion and police the marketplace using online tools, according to Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com.

"In this age of the Web, the blogosphere, and social media, I don't think greenwashers are going to get very far or that fraudulent, hugely misleading companies are going to gain traction."

A wiki-style Greenwashing Index, run by an environmental marketing firm, invites people to upload suspicious-looking ads. Eco-themed groups have sprung up on MySpace and Facebook. A steady stream of new green blogs continues to join a chorus of thousands. Flock, known as the "Web 2.0 browser," will release an Earth Day edition pre-loaded with green media feeds.

Most notably, perhaps, is the emergence of dozens of "green" Web sites, many from tech industry veterans, that aim to put like-minded people on the same page. These social-networking efforts enable users to assess products personally, offering a balance to green labels and ad campaigns.

"The more you get into the business of green, the more you see there are no one-size-fits-all magic-bullet products," said Makower, who sees social media as helping to fill the gap left by the lack of green-business standards. "Can you have a green product from a company that's less than perfect and if so, how much less?"

One of the more popular Web sites inviting users to answer that question is Sustainlane, which has collected more than 20,000 user-generated listings of products and services since 2004."So many people have different values," said Christine Volden, a Sustainlane spokeswoman. "Someone may be looking for most inexpensive product and another may say, 'I'm not concerned about price; I want the best, safest product.' You can find a person most similar to yourself."

Ratings site Alonovo enables users to weigh ratings according to their personal values. Someone could, for instance, tailor a score to reflect a greater concern with the humane treatment of animals over the use of toxic chemicals.

The landscape of green networking and news Web sites, independent and "mainstream," is sure to shift as some flop and larger companies snap up others.

However, mobile tools that could help to inform a decision at a store are only beginning to bubble up. Along the lines of natural disaster alerts delivered via mobile phone, Twitter, or Facebook, several new tools harness text messaging to inform shoppers.

Consumer advocacy group Healthy Toys offers a service whereby shoppers can send the name of a toy via SMS, then receive a reply noting the possible presence of toxic ingredients at a low, medium, or high level.

The nonprofit Blue Ocean's FishPhone service launched in the fall as a mobile Web page and service enabling users to SMS message the name of a fish and receive a note back about likely fishing practices and potential toxic chemicals in the species. The Monterey Bay Aquarium in September released a PDA-friendly version of its pocket guide to sustainably caught seafood.

But where can one find an all-in-one, Web-tied listing of a vast range of products for a mobile device?

"It has been very difficult to develop applications for handsets without the huge expense of porting across the four major carriers," said Dara O'Rourke, an associate professor of environmental science and policy at the University of California at Berkeley. "They have not made it simple, which is why most people focus on simple SMS."

O'Rourke and other researchers at Berkeley's Consumer Information Lab have experimented with a prototype mobile service that would enable shoppers to scan a bar code to pull up a menu of product details.

However, technical hurdles and the challenge of pooling data from myriad sources hamper the development of sophisticated mobile tools, O'Rourke said.

"There's a huge void in information that's becoming increasingly important to consumers. The day the iPhone was released, we knew everything about the feature set. Yet, probably 99 percent of people had no idea where it was manufactured, what the environmental impacts of the phone or battery would be, or what the impacts on workers were."

And user-generated content can flesh out a portrait of a product's value and sustainability, but it can't exist in a void, he added.

"There's a really important role for base data, not just people's opinions, but information based on science and an evaluation of the supply chain."

Sunday, July 6, 2008

On 6th July is the National Kiss Day is celebrated in U.K by lovers out there. Photographers like to stage and Italians love to eat it. Moreover in London people conducted conference about role of kiss in history as well as its importance in arts and culture from Graeco-Roman antiquity to Paris in the 1950s.

The organizers described the kiss as a capacious carrier of much social, political and cultural freight. National kiss day is to celebrate kissing. A kiss is more than a sheer kiss. Because according to Freuds passion killing formulation it is the sexual use of the mucous membranes of the lips and mouth. But sex is not the only thing to come in mind while talking about kiss. Royal Holloways Bedford Center for the History of Women arranged a conference to point out that kiss ranges from the stylized performative gesture to the ordinary ingredient of daily conversation. It ranges from stage kisses to perfunctory ones, from politicians kissing babies to a peck on the check between friends.

National Kiss Day reminds some famous images of kissing, such as Robert DOisneaus photograph of lovers kissing outside the Hotel de Ville in Paris. Top of the most celebrated kisses, is the kiss performed between Princess Diana and Prince Charles. When the Prince embraced his bride on a balcony at Buckingham Palace, traveled around the world on TV screens and published in millions of magazines and newspapers.

It is the all time hit portrait of pure expression of love. National Kiss Day describes kiss which is an intimate gesture relating two people whose actions may mimic each other but their intent may vary. It is an untold transaction, fraught with scopes for misunderstanding and bad faith. It may express anything from Hello to I Love You, from I quite fancy you to I would like to have passionate sex with you this instant. There is a fear related to it and thats sometimes expressed by pubescent girls who have not received sex education, that kissing may lead to pregnancy.

According to Feud, No one who has seen a baby sinking back satiated from the breast and falling asleep with flushed cheeks and a blissful smile can escape the reflection that this picture persists as a prototype of the expression of sexual satisfaction in later life.

But it is correct that viewing mouth to mouth kiss is not just as a beginning to genital sex.

If it is so then people wont loss energy on banning it in public places, setting limits to how it could be shown in a film, painting it on Greek vases and writing poems on it. Most of all people dont spend time to celebrate National Kiss Day

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Until recently, a fashion model and a carton of skim milk had a lot in common -- not enough fat and a short shelf life. The average model's career typically expired at the age of 25. And, really, did anyone cry over such gorgeous spoiled milk?

But a funny thing happened on the way to the model retirement home. Laugh lines became commodities.

"The market for older models has exploded," says Ginni Conquest, co-director of the sophisticated women's division at Wilhelmina Models in New York. (Models who are 25 and older are often referred to as "classic" or "sophisticated.") "It's our fastest-growing area, and it's a first for the industry."

Companies didn't suddenly become smitten with stretch marks. The trend is driven by the $2 trillion spending power of baby boomers -- born between 1946 and 1964 -- who make up 26 percent of the population. After all, what middle-aged woman wants to buy moisturizer from a model who's too young to order a martini?

Or a cashmere cardigan from a coed? In September, J.Crew will introduce an online section within its Web catalog that features 58-year-old Los Angeles model Pia Gronning. The sundresses will be the same, but the styling will be more age-appropriate and sophisticated.

"We kept hearing women say, I'm not 25. I can't wear your clothes,' " says the preppy retailer's creative director, Jenna Lyons. "We did it for the women who wanted to see someone they relate to."

J.Crew's mature model, a Danish stunner with a 27-inch waist, returned to modeling full time four years ago with L.A. Models as her booking agency. She had been working as a successful interior designer, collaborating with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and other notables.

"I was seeing girls that I used to work with, and so I got back into it," says Gronning, who was discovered by Eileen Ford in 1974. "I am much more relaxed about it now, and I am doing amazingly well."

Using models with some existential mileage makes sense for a few reasons. Baby boomers and thirtysomething Gen Xers see the best physical examples of their peers and glean hope that they, too, can age as well. They also covet the good life experiences that often come with good looks.

"The aspiration in these ads has shifted to having a full, rich life. Open up any Vogue and you'll see models over 35," says John Caplan, president of Ford Models. "In the Rolex ad, you have Carmen Dell'Orefice, and she's in her 70s."

Of course, it helps to have a fulfilled life and exquisite bone structure too. This fall, you won't be able to flip a dozen ad pages in a fashion magazine without glimpsing a 35-plus supermodel. Linda Evangelista, 42, pouts for Prada, while 38-year-old Claudia Schiffer smirks for Chanel and Ferragamo. Christy Turlington, 39, models for Escada. Naomi Campbell, 38, just replaced the 34-year-old Kate Moss as the face of Yves Saint Laurent's fall print ads.

Could America's next top model be addicted to multivitamins? TV Land sure hopes so. Earlier this month, the cable network -- along with Wilhelmina Models as a partner -- debuted "She's Got the Look," a search for a 35-plus supermodel. Host Kim Alexis, 47, who graced 500 magazine covers in the 80s, plays the ax model with the not-so-catchy dismissal: "You're off the board."

"The expression well-preserved' has become a compliment," Alexis says. "And unlike the 20-year-old girls on America's Next Top Model,' these women are more well-rounded and confident."

Perhaps. But that doesn't mean that they don't bicker like hungry chinchillas and bemoan their thighs and midriffs. Still, Keith Cox, TV Land exec and the show's creator, thinks the winner will have a better shot at landing campaigns than a dewy twentysomething model: "It's a different market, and it's less competitive," he says.

Still, this trend that appears to be one giant leap for modelkind doesn't apply to the runway -- which is still strictly for kittens.

"If I submitted a 45-year-old model for a runway show, the designer would laugh at me," says Crista Klayman, director of runway at L.A. Models. "They still want the 18-year-old."

Friday, July 4, 2008

The fact that to do so would make 70-year-old Omkari Panwar the world's oldest mother didn't even cross her mind.

Her resolve was matched by her husband Charan Singh Panwar, 77.To pay for the IVF treatment vital to producing a male heir to the family's smallholdings, the retired farmer sold his buffalos, mortgaged his land, spent his life savings and took out a credit card loan.

And it all paid off when Mrs Panwar gave birth to twins - a boy and girl - by emergency Caesarean section in hospital in Muzaffarnagar, seven hours drive north of the Indian capital New Delhi.

The twins, born a month premature and weighing 2lb each, are healthy, according to doctors.The Panwars already have two adult daughters, and five grandchildren, but the latest arrivals are what they have been waiting for - not least because a son will benefit from a dowry when he marries and will be able to work their land.

Mrs Panwar said: 'For eight months the pregnancy was hectic and painful. But I have given birth before, so I knew what to expect. Sometimes, you have to face the pain if you want something good.'

Her husband added: 'At last we have a son and heir. We prayed to God, went to saints and visited religious places to pray for an heir.

'The treatment cost me a fortune but the birth of a son makes it all worthwhile. I can die a happy man and a proud father.'

Wonders of science: The twins born to Omkari Panwar

Mrs Panwar, who has no birth certificate, uses the date of India's independence in 1947 to gauge her age. She remembers being nine when the British left India - meaning she is now 70.Romanian Adriana Iliescu, who gave birth to a daughter through IVF aged 66 in 2005, was previously the world's oldest mother.

Mrs Panwar was told she had beaten the record as she recuperated on a rusty steel bed in the mudbrick home of one of her daughters.

Proud parents: Omkari Panwar, 70, with her husband Charan, 77

'I didn't know that,' she said. 'But it is of little benefit to me. I have not even seen my own children yet - they were taken to a specialist hospital while I was still unconscious.'If I am the world's oldest mother it means nothing to me. I just want to see my new babies and care for them while I am still able.'

Gynaecologist Nisha Malik, who delivered the twins in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, said: 'I was shocked when this old lady told me she was pregnant. I have been in medicine for 20 years and I have never heard of such a case.'